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Plan the perfect weekend in Durham with this guide to top attractions, historic sites, hidden gems & amazing places to stay!
Durham is one of those places that I wish I lived closer to. If I did, then I would spend every weekend there exploring the city and surrounding countryside. With places like Bishop Auckland and Seaham a short drive from Durham, there is so much to see and do in this beautiful part of England.
I’ve just had an amazing weekend in Durham with Chloe and Cooper, and I can’t wait to tell you all that I got up to. From going on a city cruise on the river to playing around on the beach to staying in a haunted 14th century castle, we packed so much in a short space of time. We stayed in some stunning places too, so if you like quirky accommodation then keep on reading!
I think a weekend is the perfect amount of time to see the city and explore a few other attractions in the area. And if you’re looking for other places to visit near Durham such as High Force Waterfall and Hamsterley Forest, then I’ve got you covered in this guide here.
As you can tell, I really love Durham and this part of England. Hopefully this guide inspires you to visit and tick off a few places yourself. As ever, if you have any questions then you can let me know in the comments below.
Contents:
Day 1
Durham
Durham is such a beautiful city. It’s one of those places that really takes you by surprise with how charming and walkable it is. The whole city is centred around its iconic cathedral and castle, both perched overlooking the city.
If you didn’t know, Durham is a very big university city. It’s the Cambridge/Oxford of the north, and it is teeming with students. Because of that, the whole city has a really youthful vibe which I like – it always feels like there’s something going on, especially on the weekends.
I’d really recommend wandering the cobbled streets and popping into boutique shops and little cafes. It’s a place where doing very little is a joy.
Durham River Cruise
If you want to see more of the city from a different viewpoint, then I’d really recommend the Prince Bishop River Cruise. This is an hour-long cruise on the River Wear that takes you past some of the best sites in Durham including Durham Cathedral.
Departing from Browns Boathouse at Elvet Bridge, this cruise takes in the bandstand and racecourse before doubling back and heading towards the cathedral. The section I liked the most was near the river walk – you’re surrounded by forest on either side so it almost feels like this exotic Amazonian river cruise. It really doesn’t feel like you’re in the middle of the city!
The guide really brought the history of Durham to life with his stories. And there are a fair few cheesy jokes thrown in there for good measure too.
Tickets are £10 per adult, and kids under 5 go free. You don’t need to buy tickets beforehand – you just buy them on the boat itself.
Durham Cathedral
Durham Cathedral is one of the oldest churches in the UK which was first built in 1093. It was also one of the first buildings to be inducted into the UNESCO World Heritage Site list in 1986. This was the same time the Taj Mahal was inducted too, so historically it’s a very important building.
As you can imagine, the architecture is just stunning. When you stand at the back of the cathedral, there are all these beautiful lines of symmetry wherever you look.
Being a massive Harry Potter fan, my favourite spot was the cloisters. This location was used as the quadrangle in Hogwarts for the films. Also, the Chapter House is the setting for Professor McGonagall’s classroom too. Pretty cool, hey?
One of the things I’d really recommend doing at Durham Cathedral is climbing the 325 steps to the top of the tower. As you can imagine, it’s a bit of a calf burner walking all those steps, but the views from the top are just incredible.
From here you can see Durham Castle (which is next to the cathedral), and the famous Durham Viaduct. There are lots of information plaques on other buildings in the area too.
Tickets to climb to the top of the tower are £10 per adult (children aged 8-17 climb for free), and you have to book onto a specific timed slot beforehand.
Entry into Durham Cathedral itself is free, though of course donations are always welcome.
Stay: Lumley Castle
How many of you want to stay in a haunted 14th century castle? Of course you do! Let me introduce you to Lumley Castle.
Just on the outskirts of Durham, Lumley Castle is a stunning castle overlooking the Durham countryside. It’s your real classic castle too – suits of armour in the hallways, heavy velvet curtains, secret staircases, and even whispers of ghost stories if you’re brave enough to ask! It’s rumoured the ghost of Lady Lumley still walks the corridors at night.
Our room had stone walls, a four-poster bed, and views over the castle grounds. At night, we dined in the grand dining hall by candlelight, which felt very Game of Thrones. If you’re after a quirky, unforgettable place to stay, this is it.
Also, if you’ve got time, I’d really recommend going for a walk around the castle too. The forests behind the castle are gorgeous. When we were there, they were filled with wild garlic. This is the walk we did if you’re interested in a shortish walk.
Day 2
Locomotion
I bet you never knew that the world’s first ever passenger train left from a place called Shildon in 1825? Well, nor did I until I visited Locomotion, a railway museum outside Durham.
Locomotion stands as a testament to the town’s pivotal role in the birth of the modern railway. In two giant hangers, this museum houses an extensive collection of historic rail vehicles, including the original Locomotion No. 1 – that first ever passenger train.
The museum also houses the infamous Rocket train. I remember drawing this train as a kid in school, so it was amazing actually seeing it in real life.
We spent a couple of hours walking around and reading about all the different trains that they have here. Our son Cooper is very much in his train era, so he absolutely LOVED it. He was running from one train to the next shouting “train, train!” at the top of his voice. Don’t worry – pretty much all the kids were doing that!
One of the best things about this museum it is completely free (though donations are always encouraged and welcome). Also, there is a really lovely café on site, and a kid’s play area too. All in all an amazing place to visit!
Bishop Auckland
Just a short 15-minute drive from Locomotion is Bishop Auckland, a charming town well worth exploring.
Auckland Palace (also known as Auckland Castle) is its crowning jewel. This magnificent palace, once the residence of the powerful Prince Bishops of Durham, boasts a rich history spanning nearly a thousand years. This is what I love about England. You’ll be wandering around an unremarkable park, and then all of a sudden you find a grand castle out of nowhere.
The other thing to see in Bishop Auckland is the Spanish Gallery. This is home to UK’s largest collections of 16th and 17th century Spanish artworks outside of London. The gallery is centred around Zurbarán’s powerful series Jacob and His Twelve Sons, which has hung in nearby Auckland Palace for over 250 years. It’s actually a really cool gallery – it’s a real hidden gem for art lovers.
Stay: Seaham Hall
After exploring Bishop Auckland, we made our way to Seaham Hall, and wow. This place is pure luxury. Tucked away on the Durham Heritage Coast, Seaham Hall is a 5* spa hotel that feels like a peaceful retreat from the world.
Our suite was incredibly spacious, with elegant décor, a huge freestanding bath, and views out over the gardens. But the real highlight here is the Serenity Spa – think outdoor hot tubs, saunas, steam rooms, and an incredible hydrotherapy pool. After a day of sightseeing, this was exactly what we needed.
The hotel’s restaurant is also top-notch, serving locally sourced dishes that felt indulgent but not overly fussy. It’s a small plates style restaurant, and honestly, everything was delicious. A big shout out goes to the sea bass ceviche because that was unreal.
Seaham Hall is one of those places where you immediately feel relaxed. Add in the northern friendliness and charm, and you’ve got one of the top spa hotels in England. Again, I really can’t recommend this place enough!
Day 3
Seaham Beach
After your luxurious stay at Seaham Hall, head down to the beach in the morning.
This is one of the things I love about Durham – it’s famous for the city, the coastline and the countryside, so you can see all of them on a weekend away.
Seaham is a lovely place to walk from one end of the beach to the other. If you start at the north end of the beach, you can walk for about an hour before ending up at Seaham itself. Here there are a few cafes and restaurants. Or, if you’re here on a hot day like I was, then there are a couple of ice cream shops too.
Another thing that Seaham Beach is famous for is sea glass. This is man-made glass that’s been discarded into the sea, and over decades of tumbling around in the waters, it washes up on the beach as bright pebbles of glass.
No two pieces of sea glass are the same size or colour – each one is different. This makes it a really unique souvenir from your weekend in Durham to take home with you.
Beamish
If you haven’t heard of Beamish before, then let me tell you all about it. Beamish Museum is one of the most immersive and fascinating open-air museums in the UK – it’s literally like stepping back in time to a by-gone era in the most vivid way possible, letting you experience everyday life in the north east of England across different periods of history. Remember when you were at primary school and you went to a Tudor castle and dressed up? Well, it’s just like that but for the 1820s to 1950s.
One thing I wasn’t prepared for was how big Beamish is. The whole site is like a giant town, so it takes a lot of time walking from 1900s pit village to the 1950s town. That’s why they have old Routemaster buses and double-decker trams zipping all over the place.
The other thing I wasn’t prepared for was just how much there is to experience. From strolling down a cobbled Edwardian high street to riding the carousel at the fair and tucking into proper fish and chips, it’s absolutely packed with things to enjoy. You can easily spend all day here, and why wouldn’t you want to?
I absolutely loved how immersive everything was. Instead of reading about boring exhibits, you got to ask characters their history, what it was like living in the 1900s. Don’t get me wrong, I know they didn’t actually live in the 1900s, but it was a really cool way of bringing history to life. Beats learning it in a school classroom any day of the week.
This is such a family friendly activity and kids absolutely love it too. Even our toddler loved riding the tram and exploring the old-fashioned fair. And then there’s the farm animals too.
It’s easy to see why Beamish is regularly voted one of the best museums in the UK. Just make sure you give yourself a full day—there’s a lot to see, and it’s the kind of place you’ll want to linger in.
Stay: Beamish
Not everyone knows this, but you can actually stay at Beamish Museum too. They’ve just opened up two Georgian cottages on site, so you can immerse yourself in the lifestyle even more.
We stayed in one of the cottages and it was really cool! It’s very rustic, almost like role-play, and it’s very easy to imagine what life would’ve been like back in the day. Simple but incredibly enriching.
Each cottage comes with a kitchen, living room, bathroom and a big four poster bed. I loved all the details like the bath being from the 1940s and kitsch farm equipment adorned on the walls.
Also, how about this as a bit of a hack. An overnight stay includes complimentary entry to the museum during opening hours. This means you can be first ones into the museum in the morning – how cool is that!?
As I said, if you’re looking for some other places to visit near Durham, then check out my other blog. And if you have any questions about what to do in Durham, then let me know in the comments below!
